Menzies strives for customer loyalty

For Menzies Hotels, the customer is key. With a portfolio of 17 hotels in the UK, the company aims for individuality and uniqueness.

"We recognise we are not a big brand name, so we can't sit back on our laurels as maybe some of the larger hotel groups can do, expecting business to come through because we've got a big name over our door," explains Crispin Scott, sales and marketing director at the hotel group.

A focus on the customer and delivering a high quality service that meets their needs is a priority for Menzies.

"We are also far more reliant on repeat business and our reputation is important to us. That's where we are actually successful - we get the product right, and we get the price right - and our clients come back to us and they come back to us on our own merits, rather than because we have a big brand name," Mr Scott said.

It is for this reason that the company is placing an emphasis on its loyalty programme at the moment, particularly with customer service and retention being important for the events industry as a whole.

The hotel group's MenziesLoyaltyPoints scheme is designed specifically for conference organisers, offering a variety of rewards from cashback to gift vouchers.

Normally, customers earn one MenziesLoyaltyPoint for every £100 they spend. However, a current special promotion running until the end of this year means that conference organisers can get five points for every £100 they spend.

This equates to a £5 reward for every £100 and with ten MenziesLoyaltyPoints, clients can get £10 worth of Next, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, Argos or Amazon gift vouchers, £20 worth of Menzies Hotels vouchers and £10 towards a Red Letter Day experience.

They can also get £10 cashback which is payable to the client, their company or a charity of their choice. Alternatively, clients can choose for the donation to go to Menzies' nominated charity partner, Macmillan Cancer Support.

LoyaltyPoints can be redeemed at all of the Menzies hotels located throughout the UK.

"We're great believers in making the programme as simple as possible," said Mr Scott.

"I think it is one of the most generous meetings loyalty programmes out there. It's a major incentive," he added.

It is not only conference organisers that can benefit from Menzies' scheme. The company also runs the Menzies + reward scheme for business and leisure customers staying in the hotels. Each night at one of the hotels earns one reward point, and ten points are needed to get a free night's stay, on a bed and breakfast basis, at a tier-one hotel.

Those wanting to redeem their reward on a tier-two hotel will need 12 points. Additional points can also be used to add extra guests and upgrade to dinner, bed and breakfast.

Menzies has been performing well in recent months, seeing a "positive uplift" in its meeting and events business since Christmas.

"One of the main reasons for that is the market we are targeting. Our average meeting size is ten up to 100 and that market seems to have kicked in and increased in a really positive manner," Mr Scott explained.

He said that larger venues, those hosting between 500 and 1,000 people, are having a much tougher time at the moment.

"The smaller end of the meeting business is certainly enjoying a positive increase and we're ahead of forecast this year. We've had a positive start to the year," he commented.